Thermal cracking of ethane and ethylene in a stock tube

Abstract

The rates of decomposition of ethane and ethylene were measured at temperatures between 1,250° and 2,800°K. and pressures between 0.25 and 2.0 atm. by exposing the gases to high temperature during the interval between the arrival of a compression wave and a reflected rarefaction wave in a shock tube. As contrasted with cracking at lower temperatures the ethane apparently reacted to hydrogen, ethylene, and acetylene and the ethylere to hydrogen and acetylene with negligible side reactions or polymerization. The over-all decomposition rates at high temperature fall off sharply from those extrapolated from low temperature, indicating a change in mechanism. Additions of air, oxygen, carbon monoxide, and chlorine in amounts up to 17% did not effect the rate constants significantly.